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weaned from nipple shield - less time on the breast??

My 7 weeks old has been using nipple shields since day 3 and yesterday she got off them by herself. I am still in disbelief ... it is wonderful, my only concern is that she has been fussy since then. On top of that her feeding times have drastically decreased. With the shield she would be on the breast (I am doing block nursing - 3h blocks- to contain an issue of oversupply and fast letdown) even for 60/90 minutes since yesterday it went down to 10/20 max (even 5) then she either falls asleep or becomes fussy hence I have to take her off.

Is this normal?

I don't know what to think.

I should add that with the nipple shields she still gained a good amount of weight and that she would not sleep during the day like she is doing now without the shields.

Re: weaned from nipple shield - less time on the breast??

With your abundant milk supply and her age, it would be totally reasonable for a feeding to be done in 10-20 minutes. Even 5 minutes!

My guess is the shield was slowing the flow of milk and that she had to work harder to get milk out.

Her fussiness could simply be her getting used to something different and also the faster milk flow.

Not sure I have any suggestions, probably it will just take time for her to adjust.

Canadian mom and breastmilk fan.
We have 2 beautiful children: Luana who's 9 y/o, had breastmilk for 2 years and is smart as a whip. Lucas who came out kickin', is 4 y/o and continues to enjoy his milkies.

Re: weaned from nipple shield - less time on the breast??

Sounds normal. Shields are known to slow milk flow, which is why they can be troublesome for babies who are having trouble getting enough to eat and helpful for babies whose moms are blessed (or cursed, if you prefer!) with overabundant, fast-flowing milk. Once the shield is out of the picture, faster feedings are to be expected. Fussiness is normal, too, because baby has to get used to a very different flow speed and also the absence of the shield.

Congrats on ditching the shield! It's going to make life a lot easier in the long run!

Re: weaned from nipple shield - less time on the breast??

Thank you very much for the replies. You eased my mind especially about the fussiness. My happiness for this paramount event was trumped by the inability to understand the sudden crankiness of my baby girl. It does makes sense though that sh eis adjusting to this big change.

I have one more question, I have learnt how to recognize her cues when she is hungry, among them her eating her hand. Since she is off the shield though she has being doing this continuously, even after a feed that at first seems to have left her content. Also she makes sucking motions with her lips (sometimes even while she is asleep). I can't tell if she is doing it bc she was so used to suck for hours and now she is done so quickly or bc she is really hungry. I cannot believe she is hungry continuously. Could it be she was so used to be on the breast for so long with the shields (hours every day) and now she has all this time off them..? (She hates the pacifier/soothie so I can't even give her that).

I hate not being able to recognize her cues. Or maybe those are cues, but again it is hard to believe she is always hungry. Also she has had plenty (!) of dirty/wet diapers to confirm she is eating.

Re: weaned from nipple shield - less time on the breast??

Older babies learn to self-soothe by sucking on their hands. Once they learn this neat new skill, hand sucking transitions from being a reliable hunger cue to being something baby does all the time- when she's hungry and also when she's not! Luckily, you cannot overfeed a breastfed baby, so if you have any doubt about whether your child's behavior indicates hunger, you can just offer the breast and rest assured that if she isn't hungry, she won't eat, or will take only a quick sip and then be done. As time goes on and your baby's communication skills improve, she will develop more unambiguous hunger cues. And this will happen long before she learns to talk, because baby communication encompases body lanuguage and pre-verbal noises.

Re: weaned from nipple shield - less time on the breast??

She is 7 weeks today do you think is it still the case , i ask because you talk about older babies. Thank you!

Originally Posted by @llli*mommal

Older babies learn to self-soothe by sucking on their hands. Once they learn this neat new skill, hand sucking transitions from being a reliable hunger cue to being something baby does all the time- when she's hungry and also when she's not! Luckily, you cannot overfeed a breastfed baby, so if you have any doubt about whether your child's behavior indicates hunger, you can just offer the breast and rest assured that if she isn't hungry, she won't eat, or will take only a quick sip and then be done. As time goes on and your baby's communication skills improve, she will develop more unambiguous hunger cues. And this will happen long before she learns to talk, because baby communication encompases body lanuguage and pre-verbal noises.

Re: weaned from nipple shield - less time on the breast??

A lot of babies discover recreational hand sucking as early as 2-3 months. I'd say that it's quite likely that your baby is no longer sucking exclusively to indicate hunger. But if you're in doubt about what your baby is trying to "say" when she's sucking on her hand, just nurse her!

Re: weaned from nipple shield - less time on the breast??

Thank you for your input!!! Really appreciate

Originally Posted by @llli*mommal

A lot of babies discover recreational hand sucking as early as 2-3 months. I'd say that it's quite likely that your baby is no longer sucking exclusively to indicate hunger. But if you're in doubt about what your baby is trying to "say" when she's sucking on her hand, just nurse her!

Re: weaned from nipple shield - less time on the breast??

Babies love to suck. It doesn't necessarily mean they're hungry. You'll soon learn to tell the difference. Being a parent involves a bit of detective work at times.

Canadian mom and breastmilk fan.
We have 2 beautiful children: Luana who's 9 y/o, had breastmilk for 2 years and is smart as a whip. Lucas who came out kickin', is 4 y/o and continues to enjoy his milkies.